Robert Wenham, MD, MS, FACS, On Advantages of FSHR-CER T for Ovarian Cancer

“Follicle stimulating hormone receptor’s target is ovarian tissue. There was a little bit of expression that was seen on testis and since we are treating women with ovarian cancer, that's not a concern for us at all. So, I think that this specificity will allow us to give cell doses that will really be selectingfor the targeted tissue.”

Anixa is developing a chimeric endocrine receptor T-cell (CER-T) therapy targeting follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) for the potential treatment of ovarian cancer. The therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 1 study (NCT05316129) with Anixa’s collaborator, Moffitt Cancer Center, in Tampa, Florida.

The study dosed its first patient with ovarian cancer in August 2022. The dose-escalation study will enroll up to 48 participants to determine the maximum tolerated dose of the CER-T therapy and to evaluate its safety profile.

CGTLive spoke with principal investigator Robert Wenham, MD, MS, FACS, chair, gynecologic oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, to learn more about the treatment landscape and unmet needs of ovarian cancer. He discussed how the landscape was stagnant until recently and how more precise targeting is needed to achieve more efficacy in treating this type of cancer.

REFERENCE

Anixa Biosciences announces treatment of first patient in its ovarian cancer CAR-T clinical trial. News release. August 15, 2022. https://ir.anixa.com/press-releases/detail/999/anixa-biosciences-announces-treatment-of-first-patient-in